Jefferson's Ocean V Aged at Sea

To paraphrase a famous idiom:

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single sip.

Meaning: we recently tried a bourbon that traveled the world.

And the travel did it good.

The bourbon’s called Ocean: Aged at Sea, it’s out now in its fifth edition, and it’s nearly impossible to find.

Let us help.

Ocean V originates from Jefferson’s, a Kentucky distiller of “ridiculously small-batch” bourbon.

For Ocean, Jefferson’s takes a six-year-old matured bourbon, loads it into special cargo ships and sails it around the globe through fall and winter, crossing the equator four times.

The journey manipulates the bourbon and accelerates its aging.

The result is a dark, molasses-like elixir bearing flavors typically associated with other spirits: the black color and caramelization of a dark rum, the briny saltwater bite of an Islay Scotch.

Jefferson’s distiller calls the taste “salted caramel popcorn.”

To sip: go here and click on “Find Jefferson’s” to see if your local liquor store’s stashing a bottle. They’ll get the new fifth edition right around now. They may also have the equally great fourth one in stock. Maybe.

Jefferson’s also recently debuted a few other unique whiskeys, including the Esquire Manhattan, a barrel-aged and bottled Manhattan, and the Reserve Groth Cask Finish, a bourbon matured in French Oak casks that previously held Cabernet Sauvignon.

New journeys await.